Meet Austen Neil

Austen Neil graduated with BSc Nutrition and Food Science '16 at University of Alberta. She has also earned a Diploma of Culinary Arts '06 PICA and a Diploma of Pastry Arts '06 PICA. She currently works as a Senior Product Developer with Bimbo Canada. In her spare time Austen likes to model, hike, ski, hangout with friends and cook.

When did your love of STEM begin?

Any science subject was always my favorite in school, it just made more sense to me. My Dad is a physician and he always brought some interesting science discussions to the dinner table. My mom taught the Foods class in my high school and when I graduated I decided I wanted to be a chef. It was a great experience but then decided I enjoyed the science side of cooking so I decided to go get my degree and I think I turned out as this cool combination of both of my parents.

What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?

The best part of working in STEM is that it is constantly changing and evolving. There is always something new and fascinating to learn. Within the food product development side I believe that it is the perfect balance of creativity and science. There is so much more creativity involved in STEM than I think people realize. You will never get bored and people will always need to eat so you will always have a job.

What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?

There are so many facets of STEM so think about what your interests are and realize that there is probably a job out there that can combine those. You will never be bored in STEM. Every day of my job is different and you build so many different skills working in STEM, from problem solving to working with agility. Believe in your abilities.